Solid water wall for boilers and the like



v06f. 6, 1931. c, wElGEL 1,826,293

SOLID WATER WALL FOR BOILERS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 2, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Oct. 6, 1931. c, WEIGEL 1,826,293

SOLID WATER WALL FOR BOILERS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 2, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- ATTORNEY "tures. As a consequence, the

therefore, the present invention seeks to t'ube holes in Such UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs CARL F. WEIGEL, 0F CHATTANOOGA,

WEIIDNER BOEER 00., TENNESSEE TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO THE WALSH & OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION O]? s SOLID WATER WALL FOR BOILERS AND THE LIKE Application filed December 2, 1927. Serial No. 237,247.

This invention relates to improvements in boilers or furnaces and the like, and particularly to a water wall for such structures.

In modern power plants, furnace temperatures have increased considerably, due to improved methods now utilized in the burning of the various fuels used, and it has become quite a problem to find some refractory material that will withstand these high temperawater wall has been brought into use to afford a cooling means for these refractory surfaces, especially those which will not stand up under the high temperatures now obtained. Primarily,

pro-

the which area approaches a solid water vide a maximum water cooled area in boiler, wall.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a novel arrangement of the water tubes of the wall wherein the dimensions of the metal bridge or space between the points at which the tubes of the wall are connected to the headers are kept at a maximum. With the method of arranging the tubes utilized in the present instance, a solid water wall may be provided by reducing the space between the tubes to zero, if desired, while, at the same time, the bridge or space between the the headers is not reduced to an extent as to be detrimental to the eflicient operation of the wall.

A further object of the present invention is the PIOV'lSiOIl of a novel water circulating T system for circulating the water from the steam drum of the boiler to and from the headers of the water wall means also being provided for recirculating the water from one eader to another of the wall-without the water necessarily steam drum.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more passing back through the fully described and the novel features thereof pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a transverse sectional view through a boiler, a large portion of the construction being shown more or less diagrammatically, as it may follow any of the well known practices used in present-day boiler constructions;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken at right an les to Figure 1.

s the construction of the furnace proper and the manner in which the water wall is supported in the furnace or boiler areimmaterial features in the present case, said construction is illustrated only in a diagram matical way, the side walls of the boiler being shown at 10, and the front and rear walls at 11, 12. As usual, the main bank of water tubes 13 connects the front and rear headers 14, 15, the front header l4 communicating with steam drum 16 by means of the horizontal circulating tubes 17 and the rear header 15 communicating with said steam drum by vertical circulating tubes 18. It should be mentioned that the boiler illustrated in the present instance is of the cross drum type.

While any of the walls of the boiler may be built in accordance with the present invention, the water walls are shown in the present instance only at the two sides. If desired, the construction about to be described can be duplicated in the front and rear walls, or both. These water walls consist of a plurality of tubes 19 connecting upper and lower headers 20 and 21, water being supplied to the lower header 21 through a downcoming pipe 22 which communicates at its upper end I I with the steam and water drum 16 by means of a set of tubes 23. The upper header 20 of the wall also communicates with the steam and water drum 16 through tubes 24.

It is, at times, highly desirable that a substantially solid water wall be provided, but, regardless of whether or not the space between juxtaposed tubes 19 of the wall is reduced to-zero,

' tubes are connected to either of the headers are offset circumferentially of the header instead of such points of connection lying in the same line longitudinally thereof. In this way, although the intermediate portions of the tubes may be so positioned 'as that the space between them is reduced to zero, nevertheless, there will be a comparatively large space or bridge of metal between the ends of the tubes at the point at which they are attached or connected to the headers. In a vertically disposed wall, such as illustrated, this is obtained by having the ends of alternate tubes connected to each header in a line extending longitudinally of the header, while the other set of tubes, that is, the tubes positioned intermediate the alternate tubes have their ends attached to the headers in a line lengthwise of said headers either above or below the line of attachment of said alternate tubes. In other words, the ends of one set of tubes are located above or below the ends of the other set of tubes.

In Figs. 1 and 2, this result is accomplished,

with the use of a single header at each end of the wall tubes.

Means are provided for recirculating water between the upper and lower headers, such recirculating means taking the form of tubes 26, located at the exterior of the wall, these latter tubes not being exposed to the heat from the furnace by reason of a thin wall 27, say two to four inches in thickness, of insulating material supported in place behind the tubes 19 in any suitable manner, this wall replacing the usual thick brick walls heretofore used. As will be understood, comparatively cold water is supplied to lower header 21 from the boiler drum by a pipe 22, and as the heat is applied to the Water in the tubes 19, steam is produced and conveyed through upper header 20 and then through connecting tubes 24 to the steam or water drum 16. A blowotf connection 28, which may be of any desired construction, is provided on lower header 21, while both headers 20 and 21 are provided with hand holes 29, whereby access may be had to the inside of the header for cleaning purposes.

It will be noted that headers 20 and 21, as shown in cross section in Fig. I have two substantially fiat faces with one row of the tubes 19 entering one face of each header and the row of tubes 19 entering the other face of the particular header. It will also be observed that each header has a third substantially fiat face opposite the angle formed by the intersection of the two first mentioned faces, there being a single row of hand holes in this third face. Although alternate tubes 19 enter the headers 20 and 21 at diflerent angles, access may be easily had through the single hand hole for cleaning all of the tubes of the row.

With the method or construction disclosed in the present instance, a solid Water wall can be had while using tubes circular in cross section and while the space between such tubes is reduced to zero if desired, still the space or bridge between the ends of each two juxtaposed tubes at the headers is not necessarily reduced so as to be detrimental to the structure. By having the tubes circular in cross section, they can be easily cleaned, and, of course, they may be produced at a low cost compared with the cost of production of tubes of any peculiar cross section. This is very advantageous. While the present invention is especially adapted for use where it is desired to provide a solid water wall, it will be appreciated that the peculiar arrangement or style of connection between the tube ends and headers is one that is not necessarily limited to a solid water wall arrangement. In the event the space between juxtaposed tubes is not re-' duced to zero, said juxtaposed tubes at their points of attachment to the headers, will be necessarily somewhat enlarged. In any event, the bridge of metal between the ends of any two juxtaposed tubes will always be greater than the space between the intermediate portions of said two tubes.

While the invention has been illustrated as embodied in the side walls only of a boiler furnace, it will be appreciated that it may be employed or used in other portions of the furnace construction such as the furnace door or furnace roof. Again, in its broader aspect, the invention might be said to contemplate any solid water wall, consisting of tubes merging into headers or their equivalent, that is used, for forming the boundaries of a space through which highly heated gases pass. In view of this the appended claims are not to be limited to a boiler construction unless such limitations are expressly included therein.

I claim:

1. A tubular Wall forming the wall of a space through which heated gases flow, in cluding upper and lower headers each hav ing a pair of front tube receiving faces one disposed at an angle to the other, top and bottom tube receiving faces and rear faces; a row of upright spaced water tubes; a second row of upright spaced water tubes, the tubes of which are interspersed with and in junta position to the tubes of the first row; t tubes of said roWs having bent ends and 5h.

the bridge between the ends of I tubes of the first row being connected at their upper ends into one front face of the upper header and at their lower ends into the corresponding front face of the lower header, and the tubes of the second row being connected at their upper ends into the other front face of the upper header and at their lower ends into the corresponding front face of the lower header; tubes outside of said gas space for connecting said headers the upper ends of which are connected into the bottom face of the upper header and the lower ends of which are connected into the top face of the lower header upcomer tubes connected into the upper header at its top face; hand holes in the rear face of said headers; and closures for said holes.

2. A tubular wall forming the wall of a space through which heated gases flow, -in-, cluding upper and lower header means each having a pair of front tube receiving faces, top and bottom tube receiving faces and rear faces; a row of upright spaced water tubes; a second row of upright spaced water tubes, the tubes of which are interspersed with and in juxtaposition to the tubes of the firstrow; the tubes of said rows having bent ends and the tubes of the first row being connected at their upper ends into one front face of the upper header means and attheir lower ends into the corresponding front face of the lower header means and the tubes of the second row being connected at their upper ends into the other front face of the upper header means and at their lower ends into the corresponding front face of the lower header means;

tubes outside of said gas space for connecting said header means the upper ends of which are connected into the bottom face of the upper header means and the lower ends of which are connected into the top face of the lower header means ;upcomer tubes connected into the upper header means at its top face; hand holes in the rear faces of said header means; and closures for said holes.

3. A tubular wall forming the wall of a space through which heated gases flow, including upper and lower header means each having a pair of front tube receiving faces, top and bottom tube receiving faces and rear faces; a row of upright spaced water tubes; a second row of upright spaced water tubes, thetubes of which are interspersed with and in juxtaposition to the tubes of the first row;

the tubes of said rows having bent ends and the tubes of the first row being connected at their upper ends into one front face of the upper header means and at their lower ends into the corresponding front face of the lower header means and the tubes of the second row being connected at their upper ends into the other front face of the upper header means and at their lower ends into the corresponding front face of the lower header means; tubes outside of said gas space for connecting said header means the upper ends of which are connected into the bottom face of the upper header means and the lower ends of header means; closures for said holes; and

means for dralning the lower header means, including a pipe connected'into the bottom face thereof.

CARL F. WEIGEL. 

